This invention relates to a class of articles or devices made from wire to provide a frame which is not a stand, the frame holding the mouth of a bag open while the bag is suspended within the frame without prongs, hooks or clamps, and without supporting the body of the bag.
Wire racks have attained a high degree of commercial acceptance because of the relative ease with which they may be fabricated, the low cost of wire stock and the short time required to fabricate them. Such racks are particularly popular for relatively small and light objects which must be displayed prominently; and to save storage space, such racks are collapsible as shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,415. Such racks are not generally regarded favorably for heavy duty applications, referred to as such because in such applications, these racks are subjected to rough treatment if not outright abuse.
To place my wire rack of this invention in service, it is wall mounted, or mounted on a vertical panel such as is placed adjacent a checkout counter in a grocery store, or any other conveniently accessible vertical surface. My wire rack serves substantially the same function as the bag support system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,361. However, such a system has several drawbacks for heavy duty service in a grocery store, among which drawbacks is the fragility of the welded tabs by which the supporting frames are mounted. Treated roughly, the welded joints between the tabs and the frames, which are typically resistance welded, are prone to failure. Having discovered this problem with wire racks made with resistance welds, the problem was to construct a functional and economical rack without using welds at critical locations where they are subject to high stress.
The device of this invention is particularly directed to the use of a plastic bag with integral handle loops. Such plastic bags are now conventionally used as grocery bags in which foodstuffs are packed, or shopping bags in which various articles are loaded so that the bags may then be conveniently hand-carried in one hand. Such a bag is described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,170 the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference thereto as if fully set forth herein, which patent also discloses an apparatus for loading such a bag. A wire rack which achieves the same purpose more simply, reliably and economically is disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,867.
Racks used to hold grocery bags open while they are filled belong in the heavy duty category. It is common experience that groceries including canned goods and the like are loaded into a grocery bag with the emphasis on haste rather than care. As a result, a device such as is shown in the '170 patent was initially made of heavy steel sheet metal. Not surprisingly, the cost of fabricating such devices was discouragingly high considering the economics of the circumstances surrounding their use, and much energy and time was devoted to finding a more economical way.
It eventually became evident that economies in fabrication could be effected if the rack was made of wire for the most part, and such a rack was constructed with double-barreled resistance welded sheet metal journals in which swing panels were journalled, as will be described hereinbelow. When the rack was placed in service, it produced unexpectedly discouraging results. The racks broke where the sheet metal journals were welded to the wire stock due to the stress generated by loading the bags held open on the swing panels which were journalled for swinging movement in the sheet metal journals (as will be described more fully hereinbelow)
As is well known, the cost of welding in the fabrication of any article is a substantial cost, and it is in the interest of economy to use the least expensive method of welding which will provide the desired strength. As wire stock from an adequately sturdy rack is made is typically about 0.25" (inch) or 6.35 mm in diameter, or less, resistance welding is the most practical method of fabrication. Since such welds were less than reliable in service, arc welding the sheet metal journals to the wire stock of the rack was tested, but the arc welded weldments were still unsatisfactory for one reason or another, and the cost of the racks became prohibitive. Since mechanical fastening means were both inapposite and uneconomical, it appeared that the discouraging economics of fabrication of the wall mountable wire racks would have to be tolerated.
Since the reality of the marketplace dictates that the cost of supplying suitable racks, for use in holding plastic bags open, is to be met from the profits of selling the bags, it is essential that the cost of the racks be minimized.
The wall-mountable wire rack of my invention has succeeded in minimizing cost yet improving performance.